Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsaxlokk and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,023 in Marsaxlokk, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Marsaxlokk, Malta
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Marsaxlokk
🇲🇹 Malta
$2,023
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marsaxlokk and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Marsaxlokk and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,023 per month in Marsaxlokk vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Marsaxlokk $2,023
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,964 per month in Marsaxlokk vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Marsaxlokk $2,964
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,905 per month in Marsaxlokk vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Marsaxlokk $3,905
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Marsaxlokk costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Marsaxlokk sits 49% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.75 €17.62
$2.24 ฿75.6
781.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$87.0 €77.6
$19.00 ฿641
357.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.39 €11.94
$5.55 ฿187
141.26%
Cappuccino
$2.63 €2.35
$1.67 ฿56.5
57.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.68
$0.64 ฿21.53
370.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 €2.01
$0.31 ฿10.30
625.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.63 €4.13
$2.36 ฿79.5
96.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.02 €4.48
$3.66 ฿124
37.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.95 ฿65.7
-28.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.35 €1.21
$1.44 ฿48.45
-6.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.36 €3.89
$1.33 ฿45.01
227.82%
Eggs
$4.33 €3.87
$2.28 ฿77.0
89.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.19 €7.31
$16.45 ฿555
-50.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.32 €9.21
$2.78 ฿93.8
271.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.95 €16.02
$9.31 ฿314
92.80%
Apples (1kg)
$4.12 €3.68
$2.35 ฿79.4
75.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.72 €2.43
$0.97 ฿32.78
180.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.70 €3.30
$1.60 ฿53.9
131.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.46 €3.09
$1.50 ฿50.6
130.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.31 €2.06
$1.28 ฿43.10
80.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 €1.70
$1.10 ฿37.17
72.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.39 €2.13
$0.71 ฿23.81
236.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 €1.19
$0.49 ฿16.36
171.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.70 €5.98
$4.14 ฿140
61.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.94 €7.08
$17.52 ฿591
-54.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 €1.45
$1.61 ฿54.5
0.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 €2.16
$2.78 ฿93.9
-12.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 €2.27
$0.87 ฿29.29
193.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,825
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.48 €4.89
$1.16 ฿39.03
372.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 €2.04
$0.53 ฿17.79
332.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.24 €24.31
$2.42 ฿81.7
1025.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.45 ฿48.87
0.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K €33.8K
$21.1K ฿710.3K
80.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.0K €34.8K
$26.9K ฿908.7K
44.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 €91.2
$62.2 ฿2,097
64.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.33 €22.60
$12.17 ฿410
108.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.14 €38.49
$20.12 ฿679
114.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.5 €49.49
$37.31 ฿1,259
48.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.99 €8.92
$6.49 ฿219
53.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$364 €324
$736 ฿24.8K
-50.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K €9,895
$14.8K ฿498.0K
-24.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.4 €78.8
$53.4 ฿1,800
65.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.86 €35.56
$24.64 ฿831
61.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €90.4
$91.5 ฿3,086
10.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.0 €68.7
$71.9 ฿2,426
6.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,097 €979
$482 ฿16.3K
127.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,001 €893
$309 ฿10.4K
224.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,974 €1,761
$1,006 ฿33.9K
96.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,417 €1,264
$633 ฿21.4K
123.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,350 €3,881
$2,363 ฿79.7K
84.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,312 €2,955
$1,589 ฿53.6K
108.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Marsaxlokk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.9
5.57
-47.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Marsaxlokk: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Marsaxlokk
$1K
Chiang Mai
$309 69.1% $692
Groceries & Markets
Marsaxlokk
$326
Chiang Mai
$234 28.2% $92
Eating Out
Marsaxlokk
$284
Chiang Mai
$78 72.7% $206
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Marsaxlokk
$171
Chiang Mai
$94 44.6% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Marsaxlokk
$138
Chiang Mai
$109 21.2% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Marsaxlokk
$75
Chiang Mai
$50 33.4% $25
Getting Around
Marsaxlokk
$27 *
Chiang Mai
$61 126% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in Marsaxlokk versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Marsaxlokk versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Marsaxlokk
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
21:17 9:17 PM
03:17 3:17 AM
6 h ahead of Marsaxlokk
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,500
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Marsaxlokk Chiang Mai 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Marsaxlokk
  • Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Marsaxlokk vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Marsaxlokk or Chiang Mai?
Marsaxlokk costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Marsaxlokk and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,034 per month in Marsaxlokk and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Marsaxlokk or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,097 in Marsaxlokk.
How do dining costs compare in Marsaxlokk and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Marsaxlokk and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Marsaxlokk or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 39% more in Marsaxlokk, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Marsaxlokk or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,023 in Marsaxlokk and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Marsaxlokk or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,023 in Marsaxlokk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Marsaxlokk compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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